SunBird is the place to be! SunBird home sales continued to stay on the rise in 2016. SunBird home sales in 2016 of 136 surpassed the previous year’s 8-year record of 135 by one sale. When the real estate market in Arizona crashed in 2008 SunBird home sales decreased to 51 per year. It has taken several years to rebound back to earlier years of home sales. Previous to the real estate market crash, the ten year average of home sales in SunBird was 132 per year. SunBird has averaged this same exact average rate of 132 home sales again over these past three years. This is a nice compliment of the community and shows the demand of SunBird homes.
SunBird’s Horizon Room Restaurant also has had a record breaking 2016 year with sales exceeding last year’s all-time record again. Julie Mathis, food and beverage director, joined SunBird’s team just over two years ago. With her leadership and staff, sales increased immediately by approximately 25% for these past two years. The goal set forth for the first year of Julie’s management at SunBird was to improve food quality and service and make the Horizon Room the social hub of SunBird. This goal was accomplished quickly with new menu items, better food quality and service and a fun atmosphere. Further, the addition of Trivia Nights, Friday Fish Fries, Sunday Breakfast Buffets, a variety of Tuesday Night dinner selections and other activities has been very successful. In fact, these are so well attended that the kitchen does not have the space for additional equipment or working area to keep up with the food demand at some of these events. The dining area of the Horizon Room seats 165 and has a wait at times due to popularity of these events. These changes and with improved staffing did come with a greater expense. In 2015 the Horizon Room had a loss of $114,000. The operation historically has an annual loss due primarily to the great majority of residents leaving SunBird for hot summer months. The loss of 2015 for this operation was reduced to more than half in 2016 to approximately $55,000.
As 2016 has come to end and the accounting books are closed for that year, SunBird has an independent auditor preform an audit on the financial practices, transactions and reports of the year. The auditor meets with management staff, reviews procedures, uploads all the accounting and data from the computers, obtains all bank statements, and completes a detailed review of several random transactions that occurred during the year. The final report will be made by the auditor at the Annual Membership meeting Monday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m. in the ballroom. Copies of this report will be posted on the SunBird website and available at the office.
In December, through SunBird’s email newsletter, it was reported that two Dodge pick-up trucks were stolen from Sun Lakes and two more were attempted. It was also reported again weeks later that in Sun Lakes two more Dodge pick-up trucks were stolen and another attempted. No signs of any theft in SunBird. If you are not already, please join SunBird’s email list for news and important notices. All are welcome and it’s free. Just go to SunBird’s website at sunbirdhoa.com and click on the chimp (monkey) icon at the bottom of the home page to register. Please be aware of any suspicious activity and report it immediately to 911. Let’s Keep Crime Out of SunBird!
Coyote sighting in SunBird! The south section of SunBird backs up to miles and miles of desert which is the habitat for coyotes. Sometimes they look for water and food, often abundant in a resort like SunBird. Coyotes rarely bother humans unless they feel threatened by aggressive behavior or interference with their offspring. Coyotes can easily jump a six-foot block wall, walk across the top of a wall looking for food, such as small cats, dogs and/or trash. Keep your pets in sight and your garbage in trash cans. If a coyote is seen, make loud noises by clapping your hands or yelling and they will often leave. If they begin to feel comfortable in an area, they will take residence here. If you have any questions or have spotted the coyote, please contact the SunBird Patrol at 480-797-8605.
This past month, a couple of SunBird residents pranked some other SunBird friends who were returning back to their home in SunBird. The home was on Oakmont Drive. The prank included placing police crime tape around the home and a chalk drawing on the carport floor outlining a person holding a pickle ball paddle. This was very concerning to those not knowing this was just a joke. We understand that pranks and jokes can be funny but can also be troubling to those who do not know. Let’s do our best to keep our pranks from alarming or frightening others.
SunBird is a great place to be with the good weather, recreational amenities, and social activities. Take time to get out to enjoy and have fun!